Utes

One of North America's biggest motoring websites has published what are believed to be the first spy photos of a 2021 Ford Ranger test mule. Images published on the website Motor1.com show the Ranger dual-cab ute with LED headlights and tail-lights, together with a long exhaust pipe more akin to those seen on larger Ford F-Series pick-ups. The vehicle is wearing a heavy camouflage, which would indicate it is still at least 6-12 months away from showrooms.

Nissan is currently exploring a high-performance Navara variant to take on the Ford Ranger Raptor, one of the company's global executives has revealed. “It’s something that we are considering and monitoring,” Nissan Senior Vice President of Global Planning, Ivan Espinosa told Australian media in a briefing this week. However, he pointed out a performance variant of the Navara is a big undertaking in terms of engineering.

One of the world’s leading car designers has called the Tesla Cybertruck a "perfect design". François Leboine, the boss of concept car design at French auto giant Renault, bestowed the accolades on Tesla’s striking and revolutionary design for a ute during a video conference with Australian journalists.

Peugeot has revealed the 2020 Landtrek, a dual-cab ute digging deep into the parts bin aimed squarely at emerging markets Power in the Landtrek comes from a Euro 4 four-cylinder 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine making 110kW and 350Nm, put to the road through a 4x2 or 4x4 system and six-speed manual. No automatic option is mentioned. The two-wheel drive variant hits 100km/h in 14.9 seconds, the four-wheel drive takes an even more leisurely 15.8 seconds.